Dirk Jeffs, President and CEO of Ultradent Products, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of high-tech dental materials, is being recognized as CEO of the Year by Utah Business Magazine. The announcement came today.

“I humbly and gratefully share this award with everyone at Ultradent. All of our accomplishments, especially throughout the past year, have involved whole teams of people working together to get them done,” says Jeffs. “None of it was ever me alone. I’m so grateful for them and for the opportunity to lead such a fantastic, impactful company whose mission, every single day, is to improve oral health globally.”

Ultradent founder and CEO emeritus, Dr. Dan Fischer says, “Dirk’s leadership record is remarkable and his commitment to Ultradent’s core values has been evident throughout his 26 years with us. His experience, attitude, and demeaner continue to serve Ultradent and dental industry well.”

Taking the reins of CEO at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeffs’ long list of accomplishments include expansion of international sales into now more than 120 countries. Ultradent also recently received its first Great Place to Work Certification and was recognized as one of Fortune Magazine’s Best Large Workplaces in Manufacturing and Production. In the last year under Jeffs’ leadership, Ultradent also opened a new business entity, Canyon Labs, and announced a partnership between Ultradent’s world renowned professional teeth whitening brand, Opalescence™ Whitening Systems and Align Technologies, the makers of Invisalign® aligners and Vivera® retainers.

Most importantly, Jeffs says he looks forward to continuing to lead the company in bettering the lives of Ultradent’s customers, patients, and employees through better products, healthier smiles, innovative research, humanitarian work, and an ongoing commitment to the company’s core values.

Adding to the depth of its graduate dental education offerings, Penn Dental Medicine has launched an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program; the new program is now accepting applications for its inaugural class, which will enter in July. The application deadline for this incoming class is May 1, 2022.

The one-year AEGD program is designed to provide dental school graduates with advanced dental education training in comprehensive dental care with a focus on medically complex, vulnerable, and underserved populations. Dental residents will complete clinical care rotations within Penn Dental Medicine’s Personalized Care Suite in its Care Center for Persons with Disabilities; within the School’s clinical care program that serves vulnerable populations, including refugees and survivors of abuse; and within the School’s community-based care centers, treating patients with varying social, medical, economic, and psychosocial complexities.

“We’ve designed a program to not only develop residents’ skills and excellence in comprehensive patient-centered care, but also to build their experience and understanding in treating vulnerable and underserved populations,” says Dr. Marc Henschel, the AEGD Program Director. “Our goal and hope is that through this program graduates will go on to serve individuals with disabilities and other vulnerable populations in their own practices.”

Dr. Henschel, Associate Professor of Clinical Community Oral Health, joined Penn Dental Medicine in 2021 to lead the program, developing it and gaining formal initial accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) over the past year. He came to Penn Dental Medicine from New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry, where he led the NYU Special Patient Care Clinic as Director (2015-2019) and was Course Director for Clinical Management of Patients with Special Needs as well as the honors program in Clinical Management of Patients with Special Needs.

In 2020, the School was awarded a $2.1 million grant over five years from the Health Resources and Services Administration in support of the AEGD program. As part of the program, each resident will receive an annual stipend plus employee benefits (medical, dental, vision, and life insurance).

Deutsch Dental Arts in Sun City West, Arizona, has launched a four-part certificate program to enable dental laboratories to become Deutsch Removable Bridge® Certified.

With the Deutsch Removable Bridge®, titanium and Galvano gold provide a simple, elegant telescopic solution that is both implant- and tissue-borne, highly retentive, and long-lasting.

“We believe the time is right to really push this solution from the education side, and this course is totally different from anything else in the US right now,” says Arian Deutsch, CDT, Owner of Deutsch Dental Arts and a member of Inside Dental Technology’s Editorial Advisory Board.

The first part of the new program is an online course, followed by three 2-day, hands-on courses that will include hand-milling, electroforming, and more. All courses are accredited for continuing education through AGD/PACE.

Deutsch also has created a Deutsch Removable Bridge® Clinical Group of approximately 30 dentists and prosthodontists who use the solution, and the laboratory will host its first “DRB® Symposium” for that group in September.

To learn more, visit deutschlab.com/courses.

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry Foundation (AAIDF) has opened applications for the David Steflik Memorial Student Research Grants. These grants are available to all dental students and those in post-graduate and residency programs interested in pursuing research in the field of oral implantology. Applicants may request up to $2,000 to fund the project for up to a two-year grant period. The AAIDF will provide an additional $500 for travel expenses. Applications are due June 15.

A review committee with representatives from the academic, clinical, and research arms of implant dentistry will determine the overall quality and scientific merit of each Student Grant application. Applications will be evaluated in accordance with:

● Significance and scientific merit of the proposed project

● Characterization as an innovative and/or pilot project that provides a basis for more extended research

● Feasibility of project

● Time commitment of the investigator

● Adequacy of the facilities

● Justifications presented for budget requests

To apply, please visit the Student Research Grant submission site. For more information about AAIDF grant opportunities and to see a list of previous grant recipients, visit the AAIDF Research Grant page. Send all additional questions to foundation@aaid.com or call (312) 625-3705.

March 20, 2022 is World Oral Health Day, a day that aims to empower people with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to secure good oral health. For children born with a cleft lip or cleft palate, proper dental care is especially important. Global surgical nonprofit Operation Smile works with dentists who volunteer their time with the organization, providing oral care to children with cleft conditions around the world. The treatment that cleft patients receive through Operation Smile extends beyond surgery, as they are provided with oral health education and resources to support healthy smiles for a lifetime.

Dr. Neda Kalantar is a pediatric dentist who resides in Washington, D.C. She has been an Operation Smile volunteer for over 25 years, attending 13 medical programs with the nonprofit. The care that Operation Smile dental volunteers, like Dr. Kalantar, provide to patients in developing countries is extremely valuable.

“Oral healthcare is truly a luxury in many parts of the world,” explains Dr. Kalantar. “Many that live in parts of the world with limited access to dental care do not realize the importance of good oral health, unfortunately. It is very rewarding to provide care and education to patients in areas where they otherwise would not have access.”

Operation Smile dental volunteers focus on oral health for patients living with cleft conditions both before and after surgery. This may include extractions, the creation of obturators, and other strategies that improve intra-oral function, speech, and aesthetics. In addition to treatment, Operation Smile dental volunteers work with patients and their families before and after surgery, ensuring that they are educated on how to take care of their mouth and are provided with resources to maintain a healthy mouth following treatment.

“For children who are undergoing treatment for a cleft condition, any active dental disease can affect the healing of their surgeries,” explains Dr. Kalantar. “More awareness to oral health brings less dental disease and pain, and hopefully more smiling and happy kids. Once a cleft lip and palate is repaired, it’s life truly changing. The patients can eat, talk, and breath so much better.”

Dr. Dane Hoang, a Dallas-based pediatric dentist, has been volunteering with Operation Smile since 2008. Dr. Hoang has served on 11 medical and dental programs with Operation Smile and has a passion for transforming the lives of patients through dental care.

“Dental care is particularly important for kids with a cleft lip or palate because they are at a higher risk of having tooth and gum problems,” explains Dr. Hoang. “Young children with a cleft condition have narrow arches, so educating them and their families on how to properly clean their mouth is rewarding because it makes an impact on how well they recover after surgery.”

In the countries where it works, Operation Smile also relies on the services of local volunteer dentists who serve on medical programs and at year-round care centers, providing patients with dental treatments on a consistent and ongoing basis.

Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided free, life-changing surgical and dental care for more than 326,000 patients, enabling them to eat, breathe, speak, and live healthier lives. Thanks to the passion and dedication of Operation Smile volunteers, those with cleft conditions will continue to have access to treatment.

“In the United States, children born with a cleft condition get it repaired right away,” Dr. Hoang continues, “To go to any country and help change a kid’s life through cleft treatment is rewarding because you are changing that child’s life forever.” 

Second AHEAD symposium will virtually gather health professionals, policymakers, and the disability community to discuss improving access to oral health care for people with disabilities

NYU College of Dentistry will host its second AHEAD symposium—Achieving Health Equity through Access for All with Disabilities—focused on changes in policy and practice. The event will take place virtually on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 from 9 am to noon EDT, and will bring together experts in the areas of health care advocacy, access, and funding at the state and federal levels for people with disabilities.

COVID-19 created new access issues in health care, but people with disabilities have faced significant barriers to receiving care long before the pandemic. To see a dentist, people with disabilities may need to find a practice with an accessible office and a provider who is willing and prepared to see patients with disabilities. Payment can also be a barrier: while more than 10 million people with disabilities are eligible for Medicaid, many dentists do not accept it due to low reimbursement rates.

“Ensuring people with disabilities have access to compassionate, comprehensive oral health care is an important health equity goal, and we need policymakers and the oral health community at the table for these conversations,” said Charles N. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc, the Herman Robert Fox Dean of NYU College of Dentistry. “We’re pleased to reconvene for our second AHEAD symposium to discuss how to both increase access for this patient population and prepare the next generation of dentists to care for them.”

The event’s keynote speakers are:

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-Louisiana). Cassidy has championed expanding resources for people with disabilities and increasing access to oral health care throughout his career. He has sponsored legislation including bipartisan bills on retaining Social Security benefits for people with disabilities who work and targeting federal funds to provide dental care to vulnerable populations.

Natalia Chalmers, DDS, PhD, Chief Dental Officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Chalmers—a pediatric dentist, oral health policy expert, and public health advocate—was named CMS’ first-ever Chief Dental Officer in 2021 and guides CMS in advancing oral health in Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Marketplace, and Medicare.

In addition, panel discussions will address reimbursement policies for dental care, particularly in New York State, as well as the need for a universal curriculum to prepare future dentists with the skills required to provide oral health care for people with disabilities across the lifespan.

AHEAD 2022: Changes in Policy and Practice is open to the public with registration. For a complete schedule of the event and to register, please visit the event’s website at dental.nyu.edu/ahead. A link to the Zoom webinar will be provided after registration. Reporters interested in attending should contact rachel.harrison@nyu.edu.

Note on Accessibility: This virtual event requires an internet connection and computer or smartphone. Audio will be closed captioned. For questions or to notify us of additional accommodation requests, please email: dental.web@nyu.edu by March 22, 2022.  

Pearl’s Second Opinion® is the first and only chairside FDA-cleared AI radiologic detection aid that can help dentists identify numerous common dental conditions, including tooth decay, calculus, and root abscesses.

Pearl’s announcement marks an important step forward for technology-assisted dental care. Second Opinion® becomes the first AI-driven solution cleared to detect numerous conditions in dental x-rays, and the first to add US FDA clearance to European CE, Canadian MDEL, UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, Australian TGA and New Zealand MEDSAFE clearances. Second Opinion® is now the only AI-driven computer-aided clinical radiology solution available to dentists throughout North America, Europe, Australia and many other parts of the world.

“This clearance is a major milestone not only for our team and for the many dentists, advisors and partners who have contributed to Second Opinion’s development, but also for dentistry itself,” said Ophir Tanz, CEO and founder of Pearl. “AI is a paradigm-shifting technology that will add value across the entire healthcare continuum. Because x-rays are a regular part of every dental patient’s experience, the first place most people will encounter the power of medical AI technology will be in their dentist’s chair. Second Opinion®’s FDA clearance has made that possible.”

Pearl’s system supports dental professionals in their review of radiographs by applying computer vision to identify and highlight key pathologic and nonpathologic findings, including dental caries, discrepancies at the margin of existing restorations, calculus, periapical radiolucency, crowns, fillings, root canals, bridges and implants. When x-rays are captured in a dental office, Second Opinion® immediately displays the images and any detected conditions on monitors in the operatory, giving dentists sharper vision into their patients’ oral health and giving patients greater understanding of their dentist’s findings.

“The benefit that Pearl’s AI brings to patient communication in the dental operatory – and the trust that follows – cannot be overstated, and it is in that area that Second Opinion®’s impact will be most immediately felt,” said Markus Blatz, DMD, a leading authority in restorative dentistry and digital innovation. “Its long-term impact on the field of clinical dentistry may be more important, however. We endeavor to establish a standard of care through instruction at dental school, but at some point our instruction stops. Second Opinion® will help us maintain that standard and, over time, establish a more consistently rewarding patient experience.”

Second Opinion® exceeded the FDA’s stringent efficacy requirements across four separate clinical studies, each featuring a radiographic dataset of over 2,000 images and a reader group of 86 expert dentists and dental radiologists. The tests showed clear advantages for readers using Second Opinion®, including finding that study participants reading x-rays with the assistance of Pearl’s AI system accurately identified 36% more lesions than those without AI assistance did.

“Second Opinion® now joins a family of FDA cleared CADe medical systems already in use for radiologically-driven tasks such as lung nodule detection and mammography interpretation,” Pearl’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, Cambron Carter, said. “State of the art algorithms that currently assist in the detection of cancerous lesions can now be applied to detect many more frequently occurring dental diseases. The standard of care in dentistry is about to level up.”

Pearl's AI driven software is already in daily use by radiograph manufacturers, dentists and dental service organizations across Europe, Canada, Australia, South America and the Middle East. US dentists and dental offices can begin implementing Second Opinion® today by visiting: www.hellopearl.com/products/second-opinion. 

SKYGEN, the leading provider of software as a service (SaaS) and third-party administration (TPA) solutions for dental and vision benefits management, announced today the appointment of Steve Berryman to CEO, SKYGEN USA, LLC. Craig Kasten is relinquishing his role as CEO and will continue as the managing member of the company.

In his new role, Berryman is responsible for creating SKYGEN’s strategy as well as driving execution to deliver growth, profitability and client satisfaction. This appointment is part of the company’s succession planning process. Berryman most recently served as president of SKYGEN.

As managing member, Kasten will continue to provide guidance on company strategy and to drive innovation to transform the dental and vision administration industry.

“Under Steve’s leadership as president, we have experienced consistent sustainable revenue growth, increasing levels of profitability and enhanced customer focus,” said Kasten. “Steve is a champion of our company values, our people and leveraging SKYGEN’s technology and benefit management expertise to help our clients be successful.”

Berryman joined SKYGEN as chief legal officer in 2016, and was appointed president in 2020. Berryman earned his juris doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, where he majored in philosophy, political science and English literature. He also holds a certificate in executive management from the Mendoza School of Business at Notre Dame University. Prior to joining SKYGEN, Berryman spent 20 years with Quarles & Brady LLP – an AmLaw 200 law firm – including 12 years as an equity partner.

“I look forward to taking on this new opportunity, and I am energized about SKYGEN’s future. We continue to deliver value to our clients through innovation with new products and services that transform dental and vision administration,” said Berryman. “Craig and the team have built a great company, and I look forward to continuing to deliver on his vision of transforming our industry. Among our clients, our people and SKYGEN’s solutions-based technology, we have great opportunities ahead of us.”

Statement from DentaQuest Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Roxanne Martinez

Today, Roxanne Martinez, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for DentaQuest, issued the following statement in celebration of International Women’s Day and the contributions of women in the oral health industry:

“The COVID-19 pandemic altered the career paths of many women and, as a result, a record number of women left the workforce in 2020 citing family responsibilities, accounting for 53% of labor workforce exits. At DentaQuest, we have worked hard to ensure our female team members have options, opportunities and support from their employer as they seek to manage the constantly changing family-care dynamic. This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women at DentaQuest and in the oral health care industry, and their achievements and contributions both in and out of the workplace.”

As part of its commitment to achieving women’s equality, DentaQuest continues to create and bolster efforts dedicated to elevating women in the workplace. Programs such as the Women Empowered at DentaQuest (WE@DQ) employee resource group (ERG) and a leadership communications skill building initiative have been implemented to foster growth and confidence. In partnership with the UNITY ERG, WE@DQ is hosting an internal panel discussion to explore the impact of bias on mental health. And all employees are encouraged to join the International Women’s Day #BreakTheBias social media movement.

Hear more from Roxanne and other Boston-based business leaders during a discussion hosted by The Commonwealth Institute focused on the latest Women’s Leadership Development Impact Study, sponsored in part by DentaQuest for all four years, and how companies can take measurable actions toward equity. RSVP here for the March 10 virtual event.  

MicroCare, LLC, following its recent acquisition of Certol International, a fast-growing and leading global manufacturer of instrument cleaning and infection prevention solutions, will present an expanded range of products at the AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo 2022, New Orleans, Louisiana from March 19-23 2022. The MicroCare team of experts will be on hand to present its entire medical platform of products along with the new patent pending ProEZ Gel™.

ProEZ Gel Ready-to-Use Pre-Treatment Gel is a new, high performing product for precleaning soiled instruments and devices at point of use. It has a unique innovative bio-generated action for effective soil removal even on complex, sticky orthopedic and neurosurgical soils. The targeted active soil breakdown combines with humectants to sustain moisture during holding and transport to reduce the risk of dangerous biofilm formation.

ProEZ Gel helps facilities with performance to standards and device compliance. It is easy to apply and the green tint offers quick visual confirmation of proper coverage and compliance with pretreatment protocols. ProEZ Gel is pH neutral and non-corrosive and is tested and validated to sustain moisture, continue soil breakdown, and protect instrumentation for up to 72 hours of holding time. It is free rinsing to improve productivity and workflow in Central Sterile Processing environments.

“We originated the concept of a pre-treatment spray, over 20 years ago, with ProEZ foam™ Foaming Enzymatic Spray. As the Joint Commission and other accrediting agencies push for compliance at “point-of-use” with device cleaning instructions, healthcare facilities are now coming on board with a better understanding of the need for policies and effective products,” says Peggy Spitzer, RDH, M.A.Ed., MicroCare Clinical Educator. “My experience in working with hospitals and surgery centers to achieve consistent compliance reinforces the value of ProEZ Gel as a powerful new tool for pre-treatment. This product is far more effective than traditional gel sprays or wet towels for maintaining instrument preservation.”

To learn more about ProEZ Gel and the MicroCare portfolio of products, visit the team at AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo 2022, New Orleans, Louisiana from March 19-23 2022.